Phillipians 2:1 PNEUMATOS - Big S or little S?

Theodore H. Mann thmann at juno.com
Mon Sep 28 17:39:43 EDT 1998


How about:  "if there is any fellowship in the realm of spirit"?

Theodore "Ted" H. Mann
thmann at juno.com

On Sun, 27 Sep 1998 23:54:05 -0700 clayton stirling bartholomew
<c.s.bartholomew at worldnet.att.net> writes:
>Tim Duke wrote:
>> 
>> Am I correct in thinking that the phrase:
>> "EI TIS KOINWNIA PNEUMATOS"
>> could be translated
>>     1)    "if any fellowship of spirit" (ie our own spirits)
>> OR 2) "if any fellowship (with each other) that derives from the 
>(holy)
>> Spirit"
>> OR 3)  "if any fellowship with the (Holy) Spirit"
>> 
>> Is it more likely, given that PNEUMATOS is antharous, that the first
>> option is correct?  Would the presence of the article still leave us
>> uncertain between option (2) and option (3)?
>> 
>
>Tim,
>
>It seems that the Koine Greek article is a constant source of 
>befuddlement on
>this list and I will admit that I am just about as befuddled as 
>anyone. 
>
>I have been reading D.B.  Monro, "Grammar of the Homeric Dialect" on 
>the use
>of the article (sections 256-64). Monro claims that when an article 
>appears
>with a noun (or an adjective), the article itself is a substantive 
>standing in
>apposition to the noun.  I am wondering how much this has changed in 
>Attic and
>Konie?  
>
>There are numerous functions that the Greek article can fulfill apart 
>from and
>independent of marking a definite substantive. The absence of the 
>article with
>PNEUMATOS does not prove much. I suspect that we may be looking for
>information indicated by the absence of the article which the absence 
>of the
>article does not give.
>
>I am raising more questions and not giving answers. I will leave the 
>answers
>to others more qualified. 
>
>
>-- 
>Clayton Stirling Bartholomew
>Three Tree Point
>P.O. Box 255 Seahurst WA 98062
>
>post script
>
>I think that one of the reasons we become befuddled in our discussions 
>of the
>Greek article is or tendency to rush into English translations to make 
>our
>point clear. They very process of rendering the Greek article into 
>English
>clouds the issue. The Greek article has a set of functions that are 
>quite
>distinct from the English article. The functional overlap between the 
>Greek
>and English articles is just large enough to lead the unsuspecting 
>into the
>error of over looking the big and serious differences. Arguing from 
>English
>translations really compounds this problem.
>
>---
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>

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